Switch-stand.



W. BENDER.

SWITCH STAND.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17. I915.

Patented. July 23, 1918.

W. BENDER.

SWITCH STAND.

APPLICATION FILED MAYH. 19x5.

1 ma, 1 ma, Patented July 23, 1918-.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

, mmmr w. BENDER.

SWITCH STAND. APPHCATIDN FILE-D mAYn. 1915.

LQWAMW Patented July 23, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

u null I lzven'zzrv W. BENDER,

SWITCH STAND.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I7, I915.

Patented July 23, 1918.

4 SH EEEEE SHEET 4.

:switch stand at a suitable.distancefrom the adjacent fixed The frame- 25 com: prises a centrally located housing adapted to contain certain movable parts of the switch throwing mechanism, and this housing com- .P' GS aalicngO-vable Cover portion 25 h avingi oppositely extending apertured flanges 29, which are rigidly secured to the adjacent parts of the base portion of the frame by means of studs or bolts 30." I

The fra'me25 is provided with a vertically extending hub or sleeve 31, in which is journaled the switch-throwing shaft 32. This shaft comprises a squared portion 33, which extends downwardly beyond the hub or sleeve 31 to engage an aperture of similarform in the hub 34 of the switch-throwing crank 34. A bolt 35 extends through alining apertures in the hub and the portion 33 of the shaft,fto secure said parts against relative displacement. The switch throwing crank: compiisesj two oppositely disposed "crank arms 36, each having an integrally formed pin 37 projecting vertically therefrom adjacent its extremity. One of thepins is adapted to engage a circular aperture in one extremity of a'connecting rod 38, which is pivot-ally connected at 39 to the switch rod 21 previously described; It Will beseen that therotation ofthe shaft 321will operate through the crankarm and connecting rod to reciprocate the. switch rod, and thus move the switch point rails with respect to the fixedrails. The switchthrowing crank 34 is provided with two crank arms 36, so that after one of the arms 'bfeeomesfW rn or imperfect with use the crank 34 maybe reversed in its position on the shaft 32,"and' the connecting rod 38 con- 9. of thelbevelgear is provided with an out gear seatsuponf thefupp er extremity of the nec'ted to the pin of the other crank arm. f The shaft 32 is also provided with an upwardlyextending portion 40 of rectangular j cross-section, which is adapted to engage a similar. aperture formed in the hub of a bevel gear sector- 41. The portion 40 of the shaft andthe'hub offthe bevel gear are prowith alining'aperturesadapted to be engaged by a pin orrivet 42, and the hub wardly 'ex tending cylindrical part which is jour'nalcd in thesleeve 86 formed integrally with the cover portion 2f of the housing Itwill be seen that" the hub of the bevel sleeve o r hub 31 fofthe' frame 25, thus supporting the shaft 32 andparts carried thereby "against vertical displacement downwardly; The hub of the switch-throwing crank34 similarly engages the lower extremityj'of thesleeve 31, thus preventing vertical"fdisplacement upwardly; of the The bevel 'gear sector 4 1"meshes with a bevel pinion 45,which is fixed by a pin 46, or other suitable means, upon the. in-

ner end of a horizontal operating shaft 4-7 w.1th1n:the centrallylocated housing of the frame The shaft 4-1-7 is join'naled in a suitable bearing formed in the outwardly extending projections 48 and 49 of the base and-cover portions, respectively, of the fran1e. These projections are provided with outwardly extending lugs .30 having alining apertures therein which are engaged by studs or bolts 51, whereby the parts are mutually secured. Itwill be seen that the rotation-of the horizontal shaft in its hearing will operate, through the bevel pinion 45 and the bevel gear sector 41, to rotate the shaft 32, and thereby reciprocate the switch rod. V

a The outwardly projecting portion of the shaft 47 has mounted thereon an adjustment member 55. This adjustment member is provided with a horizontally-extending bore 56, which closely engages the shafl, and with radially extending apertures 57 adapted to register with. correspomling apertures in the shaft. These alining apertures are engaged by pins 58, whereby the adjusti'nent member is secured in fixed position on the shaft. The adjustment mom her is further provided, midway between its opposite vertical faces, with a socket 5!) which intersects the bore of the adjustment member and provides a suitable chamber around the shaft within the adj ustment member. An operating lever 60 is adapted. to enter the socket 59, and to fit closely the vertical walls thereof, being provided at its extremity with a circular aperture 61, which is adapted to receive the portion of the shaft which extends through the socket. In this manner the operating lever is pivotally mounted'on the shaft, but is prevented from horizontal displacement thereon by the walls of the socket.

The angular movement of the operating lever 60 with respect to the shaft 47 and the adjustment member 55 is limited by two oppositely'disposed lugs or flanges 62, which are formed integrally with the adjustment member, and which extend on opposite sides of the operating lever in the path of movement thereof with respect to the shaft 47. The relatively adjacent faces 63 of the lugs or flanges are inclined outwardly and away from the axis of the bore 56, and spaced apart so as to permit a desired maximum degree of pivotal movement of the lever on the shaft before said lever engages one of the faces. Each of the lugs or flanges 62 is provided with a threaded aperture 64 lying in the same radial plane as thesocket 59.- Each of these threaded apertures is engaged by a stud or set screw 65, which maybe caused to extend beyond the face 63 of the corresponding lug 62 ier the purpose of limitiiigvthe pivotal inovenient of the lever with nesp ect to the shaft; 4 dilach P of i the threaded aperture's 64 terminates at :tlie outerside 0% thecorrespending [lug 62 in a socketieti adapted 1 to receive a =portien of the head of the corresponding stud '65: i The walls of the"soeket 66 are provided with alining slots or notches G7, which lie in planes parallel to the axis of the bore, and: which are adapted tohe engaged by pins 68 extendingthrough the apertures in the headset the studs 65. It will be apparent that after one-oi; these studs has been adjusted to thedesired po sit-ion the pin inaybe passed throughthe aperture in the head and through the adac'ent alinin slots 67 to prevent rotation of the stud lroni itsadjusted position; The usual cotterpins are preferably usedfor this purpose.

' i he lever is provided atits outer extremitvwith an integrally formed heavy ()ne ofthe backets 72"is"adapted to coact miles lever in either-position thereof to support the same against fuirth er downward inovenient. The projecting part of the lever carrying the heavy weight 70 serves to maintain thielever against disl'ilaeement from the supporting bracket. j When; the lever is inuthe position shown in the drawings, vise, resting onthe bracket 72' atllthe left of the shaft 457,;as viewed iih Figs. 1 and 3, the parts 01 "he switchmechanisn r will be in such-position that thepoint railyl8 is thrown into contact with the hired rail ivhilef thepoint 19 is thrown or displaced from mthe fixed rail 10; Wlien the switch lever is thrown "into the reverse p'osi tioi1, resting on the bracket TQ'at the right oftheshafte'Z as=viewedin Fig. 3, forw insi'ance the switch-thrmving lever rail 19 into-contact with the fixed raillG and to displace the point rehash-o l)the fined rail 15. "The lever 60 thus moves througha fixed are duringjtheprocess of changing the switch j point rails from one adjusted position to the otherc jj lls my improved switell-throwing niechanisni is illustrated in the drawings; itwill be apparentwtliat when the operating lever isthrown to wthe'j lett, as viewed invll ig a 3,

tions of the lever will result in theproper corresponding adjustment of the point rails with respect to the fixed rails.

It will be apparent, however, that .acliter the fixed rails andswitch point vrails have llOCOllllZ-i worn with. continued use the switch point rails may no longer contact the adjacent fixed rails inainanner to guide properly the wheels of the ro lling stock when they pass the point of the switch, which may result, for example, in the wheels of success ve cars, or successive wheels of the same car, passing on opposite sides of a pointrailfwhich action will resultiitr a de- =1'aihnent. or other serious accident. My invention designed to overcome this diffieulty,since when it is' found thatthe rails have hecoineavorn, so that the point rails no longerlnakefproper contact with the adjacent fixed rails, the studs may be adjusted to provide a greater throw of the switch rodinthe desired direction until the space between the point and fixed -ails; has been taken up aliidthc diiliculty oi ,reome. iFoiflinstahce, assuiniu that the pointrail 18 does not properly contact with thefixedraill6, as viewed in l igs. 1 and 2, the operator may withdraw the pin 68 from the lower one of the studs 65', as viewed in Fig. for instance, and rotatethe stud in wait dly so that its inner extremity projects to a greater extent beyond theface 630f the -corresp011ding lug 62, thereby rotating theadjustinent member 55 downwardly and to the left with respect to the lever 60. This will result in moving the switch rod 21 and point I'ail 18 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 12; while the lever remains stationary. Inthiwaythe point rail 18 may beadjiiste int/i l: it proiierlyeontzicts with the fixed rail 15. i

When it isdesired to throw the switch intothe reverse position; the lever isthrown to theright; as viewed jin Figi 3, asy previously deseribed: During the firstpart of thismoveinent it will' be evident that the lever willrbtate without causing a rotation of the adjustment member andxthe operatinggsha'litfbut when thelever e1igagestheeX- trehiity of-the upperi'noststud 65, as viewed Fig. 3, the shaft will begin to rotate, and will eo itinue to be rotated until the open ating lever hasbeen caPried over into the reverse position. IEwhen the lever; is in. re verse position, it he found that the {point frail ltr does hot" properlj contact with the fixed the shaft is such as to produce the proper adjustment of the point rail 19 with a fixed throw of the lever. The adjustment mem- 7 her 55, comprising the adjustable stud 65,

is preferably so adjusted that each of the point rails will coact with the adjacent fixed rail before the lever has reached the supporting bracket 72 in the corresponding position of said lever. In this way a strain is put on the parts of the mechanism after the point rail has contacted with. the fixed rail, so that all the backlash or play in the moving parts of the mechanism may be taken up before the lever reaches the adjacent supporting bracket. Then when the lever is supported on the bracket, the heavy weight 70 will serve to maintain a very V tight and effective adjustment of the switch rails and the switch-throwing mechanism.

It will also be apparent from the foregoing description that by means of the stud and the adjustment member 55, the limit of the throw of either point rail of the railway switch toward theadjacent fixed rail may be adjusted independently of the corresponding limit of the throw of the other point rail toward the other fixed rail; that is, the throw of one point rail from open position toward the fixed rail with which it-is adapted to coact, and the pressure ofcontact therewith, may be regulated in degree independently of the throw of the otherpoint rail toward and its contacting pressure with the other fixed rail. In this way both of the point rails may be caused to assume the proper relative positions with respect to, and to bear with the desired pressure on, the fixed rails by the very simple operation of adjusting the studs 65 in the adjustment member as wear occurs and the adjustment becomes'necessary. It will be understood that the operating lever moves through a fixed are or path and that the limits of movement of the switch rod in opposite directions, and the corresponding limits of rotative movement of the shaft 47, are varied by adjusting the studs 65 so as to vary the amount and occurrence of the lost motion of the lever 60. A further advantage of my switch stand is that it is very simple and rigid in construction, as

well as efficient in operation. It is so articular embodiment of my invention, and have described a particular manner of operation for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that my improved switch stand may be embodied in various other structures of widely divergent form without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, an operating shaft, an adjustment member fixed on said shaft, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said shaft, said adjustment member having integral parts extending on opposite sides of said lever, and adjustable means carried by said integral parts and lying in the path of movement of said lever to limit the pivotal movement thereof with respect to said shaft.

2. In a device of theclass described, an operating shaft, an adjustment member fixed on said shaft, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said shaft, said adjustment member having parts extending on opposite sides of said lever to limit the pivotal movement of said lever with respect to said shaft, and studs extending through said parts of the adjustment member and adapted to engage said lever for varying the rotation of said shaft with a given rotation of said lever.

3. In a device of the class described, a shaft, an adjustment member fixed on said shaft, an operating lever, said adjustment member having an inwardly extending socket through which said shaft extends, said lever being pivoted on the shaft in said socket, and studs extending through the opposite walls of the socket in the plane of movement of said lever.

4. In a device of the class described, a shaft, an adjustment member fixed on said shaft, an operating lever, said adjustment member having an inwardly extending socket through which said shaft extends, said lever being pivoted on the shaft in said socket, said adjustment member having integrally formed flanges extending on opposite sides of said lever, and adjustable studs extending through said flanges and adapted to engage said lever.

5. In a device of the class described, a shaft, an adjustment member fixed on said shaft, an operating lever, said adjustment member having an inwardly extending socket through which said shaft extends, said lever being pivoted on said shaft in said socket, said adjustment member having integrally formed flanges extending on opposite sides of said lever, adjustable studs ex tending through said flanges and adapted to engage said lever, and means to secure said studs in adjusted position.

6. In a device of the class described, an operating shaft, an adjustment member emma fixed on said shaft, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said shaft, and adjustable members threadedly engaging said adjustment member and arranged in the path of movement of said lever to vary the rotation of said shaft with a given rotation of said lever.

7. In a device of 'the class described, an operating shaft an adjustment member mounted on said shaft, said adjustment member being provided with a socket, an operating lever pivotally. mounted in said socket, and adjustable means threadedly engaging the Walls of said socket and arranged in the path of movement of said lever to 15 vary the rotation of said shaft with a given rotation of said lever.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name. a

WILLIAM BENDER.

Witnesses:

GEO. L. WILKINSON, HENRY A. PARKS.

Copies of this patent may'be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Waohinmon, n. o." 

